This invention relates to improvements in mechanical separators for treating plant materials such as herb plants, spice plants and the like in separation of the intrinsic parts thereof as desired for flavoring from the waste portions thereof.
During the past few years, a surge of interest in home gardening has resulted in many families growing various forms of common herbs and spices. Since many varieties of such herbs and spices can be used in either a fresh or dried state, and since some of such varieties are annuals, various methods of drying and preserving such herbs and spices have been developed, so that the home gardener may use and enjoy the fruits of his labor during the winter months. An integral part of the preservation and storage of such herbs and spices involves the removal and separation of the intrinsic parts thereof as desired for flavoring from the waste portions thereof.
We are aware that various types of large, motor-driven mechanical separators have been provided for separation of the intrinsic parts of herb plants and spice plants from the waste portions thereof on a commercial scale. We are not aware of the details, construction and operation of such commercial separators.
In preparing his dried herbs and spices for preservation and storage, the home gardener usually uses fairly primitive methods of separating the intrinsic parts from the waste portions thereof, such as by crushing the dried herb and spice plants with a rolling pin and then using a flour sifter to separate the intrinsic parts from the waste portions thereof. This method of separation usually results in a pulverizing of the intrinsic parts of the herb and spice plants to a finely divided powder form, which in many instances is undesirable, in that some herbs and spices provide more suitable flavoring when they are in a fragmented rather than a powder form.
It is a primary object of our invention to provide a mechanical separator which may be used with facility by home gardeners in fragmenting and separating the intrinsic parts of plant materials, such as herb plants, spice plants and the like. It is a further object of our invention to perform such separation in a manner whereby the intrinsic parts of such plant material remain in suitably sized fragments as desired.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, and in which drawing: